The present invention relates to protective coverings (such as armor) that may be used for people and objects, more particularly to methods and devices for protecting entities from damage or injury caused by explosive or ballistic events.
Surface ships, submarines, small boats, buoys, tanks, oil rigs, pipelines and nuclear storage are examples of water-borne and fluid-containing objects that are vulnerable to leakage, inward or outward, that may be caused by explosive or ballistic attack. For instance, an explosive or ballistic event can puncture or otherwise rupture a marine vessel in at least one location, resulting in the rapid ingress of water and the concomitant sinking of the marine vessel, thus posing a great risk to the occupants of the marine vessel. A liquid container or gas container (made of any structural material) that is leaking due to an explosive or ballistic event can represent a chemical leak hazard or a fire hazard (e.g., when the container is a tank containing gasoline).
It is therefore desirable to protect water-borne and fluid-containing objects from harm caused by explosions and projectiles. More specifically, the protection of such objects is sought so as to mitigate structural damage (such as manifested by one or more ruptures) and the consequent ingress or egress of fluid material.